Shultz Opens Talks Amid Greek Outrage

March 27, 1986|By Terry Atlas, Chicago Tribune.

ATHENS — The ruling Socialist Party of Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, on the eve of his talks with U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, Wednesday condemned American military strikes against Libya as an attempt to provoke a

``holocaust`` in the Mediterranean Sea.

Senior American officials accompanying Shultz here withheld comment on the statement, which is likely to complicate the efforts to patch up strained relations caused by Papandreou`s past anti-American remarks.

The American military action against Libya, just over an hour away from here by air, has received banner headlines in local newspapers for the past two days and helped draw thousands of protesters to anti-American

demonstrations not far from Shultz`s hotel Wednesday night.

Shortly after dusk, police clashed with several hundred protesters at Athens University who threw rocks and bottles after they were denied permission to march two miles to the Athens Hilton, where Shultz in staying under heavy police guard.

A larger, Communist-sponsored rally outside the Parliament building, which drew an estimated 20,000 people, was peaceful and lackluster. The speakers denounced U.S. action against Libya and called on the Greek government to shut American military bases here. But few in the crowd joined in the chants, such as ``Out with the Bases of Death,`` which had been recorded and blared from the public address system.

Earlier in the day, Shultz met alone for nearly two hours with Greek Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias for what American officials later said were positive discussions on a range of issues, including the Libyan situation.

A senior American official, who briefed reporters, said Shultz explained U.S. reasons for asserting international rights in the disputed Gulf of Sidra along the lines that he used a day earlier in Ankara, Turkey. There, he blamed Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy for provoking the incident.

Athens put more than 5,000 policemen on downtown streets to protect Shultz and his delegation as the American motorcade raced around town Wednesday. Shultz, accompanied by members of the State Department security detail carrying Uzi submachine guns tucked under their raincoats, visiting the historic Acropolis shortly after sunrise to minimize public exposure.

As he opened talks with Greek officials, Shultz was unexpectedly hit by the Greek Socialists` strong denunciation of American actions against Libya.

Papandreou`s Panhellenic Socialist Movement (Pasok) said the American military action against Libya ``dynamites`` peace in the region, adding, ``We are certain that we express the sentiments of the entire Greek people, who unreservedly condemn the attempt of a holocaust in the Mediterranean.``

Observers said the statement is thought to reflect Papandreou`s views as leader of his party, but was not issued officially by the government as a way to minimize its negative impact on relations with the U.S.

Shultz is scheduled to meet for about three hours Thursday afternoon with Papandreou.

They are expected to talk about continuing use of military bases in Greece beyond the 1988 expiration of the current base agreement, international terrorism and Greek-Turkish problems over Cyprus and their disputed claims in the Aegean Sea. Greek officials expressed optimism Wednesday that the talks here, which follow six months of lower-level diplomacy, will result in better relations between the two countries.